The rhythmic sound of knocking broke the silence in my room. It was Fred. I could recognize the pattern of his knocking even without looking at the door; it was a familiar sound from our childhood.“Gia, are you done?” his baritone voice came from behind the thick door. “There's a New Year's event you have to attend in thirty minutes.”I took a deep breath, straightened my robe, and tried to shake off the lingering shock from my encounter with Eva earlier.“Come in, Fred,” I replied in a calm tone.The door opened, and Fred stepped inside. Although he was as alert as usual, his expression was much more relaxed when it was just the two of us. He glanced around the corner of the room, probably looking to see who had been here earlier. But he didn't say anything. He stood in front of me, looking me straight in the eye.I stared at him for quite a while. There was a strong urge in my chest to spill everything. I wanted to talk about The White Fragment of the Philosopher's Stone embedded i